HandMade films: The very naughty boys of the British film industry | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV | Daily Express HandMade films: The very naughty boys of the British film industry IT WAS the independent British film company with a difference. 00:31, Mon, Aug 19, 2013 Stellar cast: The Pythons shone in their film Life of Brian A collaboration between a member of the most famous pop group of all time and "six of the finest British comics since the Goons", HandMade Films came into being in 1978 when Beatle George Harrison decided to finance the work of his heroes Monty Python. Harrison stepped in to rescue the Pythons' controversial film mocking organised religion, Life Of Brian, when EMI backed out. Robert Sellers's new book Very Naughty Boys, named after the famous lines in Life Of Brian, "He's not the Messiah he's a very naughty boy", tells the amazing true story of George Harrison's film company. HandMade Films made some of the most iconic British movies of the Eighties but what started as a goodhumoured venture ended in tears, recrimination and expensive lawsuits.

It is a tale of excess, outrageous behaviour, duplicity and betrayal and the egos and eccentricities of some of the biggest celebrities of the age. "Quiet" Beatle Harrison loved the cinema and for him it was a dream come true to own his own film company. But his hard-nosed American business partner and financial adviser Denis O'Brien saw the film venture as a great way to reduce his client's tax liability. No one really expected Life Of Brian, a film about a man called Brian Cohen who is born on the same day as Jesus and is mistaken for the Messiah, to be a huge commercial success but it was. "I think one of the real problems was when Brian started to make money," says Python star Eric Idle. "George and Denis really were like the classic producers. This was not supposed to make money - it was a tax write-off." The film was attacked by religious groups as blasphemous and was banned by some local authorities. But the controversy that Life Of Brian attracted proved the truth of the old adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

The film earned £20,000 a week in takings in London's West End alone and special coaches were organised from towns where it was banned so people could go to other places to see it. HandMade Films had got off to a great start and its office in Cadogan Square, London, provided a great working environment. Harrison was seldom there but was a model employer. "On everybody's birthday a party was always laid on," accountant Steve Abbott recalled. "It was a very good atmosphere and people were genuinely friendly." One winter's afternoon the staff enjoyed a massive snowball fight inside the building. But despite the family atmosphere friction soon developed. The Pythons resented the interference of Denis O'Brien. They accused the former investment banker of spending money without their say-so. They came up with a daring plan to get their money back. "We were in Jamaica," recalls Eric Idle. "We had a meeting about what to do with Denis and I came up with a brilliant plan.

I said, 'We'll steal his yacht.' And everybody else said, 'What a great idea.' John (Cleese) vetoed it because he's a lawyer and said, 'This is piracy.' So we were disappointed." HandMade Films was born when Beatle George Harrison decided to finance Monty Python In 1981 the Pythons left the company that had come to their rescue, leaving Harrison disappointed although he remained on good terms with the troupe who continued to work on HandMade Films on an individual basis. In the Eighties some of the most famous names in films starred in HandMade productions but the making of movies was often a traumatic experience for those concerned as egos clashed and tempers flared. Veteran actor Trevor Howard, the star of classic Forties romantic film Brief Encounter, was cast as bigoted Lord Ames in The Missionary. For director Richard Loncraine, dealing with Howard proved to be very diffi-cult. "It was very sad because Brief Encounter is one of my favourite films but he was just so drunk he didn't know where he was. He was very aggressive actually and behaved unspeakably badly in the end." One night the cast and crew were staying in a hotel on location.

Howard's dresser heard screaming coming from Howard's room and on entering found out that the actor had managed to lock himself in the wardrobe. "He was completely gone," Loncraine recalls. Terry Gilliam, director of 1981 film Time Bandits, had frequent clashes with Denis O'Brien over his interference in the making of the film. Things reached a head when at one meeting Gilliam "completely lost his rag" and seized a print of the film in one hand and with a nail in the other barked into O'Brien's face: "Here's the nail, here's the negative. I'm going to rip it down the middle 'cos I made it, I can destroy it." Sean Penn and his pop star wife Madonna, then "the biggest celebrity couple on earth", were signed up in 1985 for Shanghai Surprise but the film was a disaster from start to finish. Penn's brattish behaviour caused great friction with the rest of the cast and he continually clashed with the director Jim Goddard. PENN had actor Bernard Hill, who had been cast to play the villain, sacked even before he had played a scene with him.

He also had the film's publicist Chris Nixon fired after he had suggested that Penn and Madonna pose for photographers to keep the press happy. "This film doesn't need publicity. People will go to see it because we are in it," Penn arrogantly declared. George Harrison flew out to Hong Kong where the film was being made to act as a peacemaker. He had given up smoking but the stress caused him to take the habit up again. When the film was eventually released Penn and Madonna refused to promote it. The normally mild-mannered Harrison voiced his frustration in a magazine interview, declaring Penn to be "a pain in the ass" and criticising Madonna for "all this aloofness and star stuff". There were happier times for Hand-Made with the making of hilarious black comedy Withnail And I about two out-of-work actors from London who go to Cumbria to spend a holiday in a cottage owned by Withnail's gay uncle Monty. Richard E Grant, who was brilliant as the alcoholic Withnail, is a teetotaller in real life and agreed to get drunk to get a "chemical memory" of what it was like when he played the part.

Sean Penn, seen here with his ex-wife Madonna, caused rifts in HandMade Film I have a sort of kamikaze side to me that is optimistic George Harrison Although it received good reviews Withnail And I never got the wide release it deserved in 1987 and it was only years later that it became a major hit. The film became a cult classic and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest British films of all time. But for HandMade Films its success came too late. In 1988 Harrison declared: "I have a sort of kamikaze side to me that is optimistic. I have to trust Denis O'Brien's business sense and hope that he is not going to bankrupt me." The words were later to prove prophetic. Harrison, the trusting pop star who had poured millions of his own money into HandMade, found out that he had been duped by his business partner who had encouraged him to borrow massive sums of money. In 1995 Harrison filed a $25million lawsuit in America against O'Brien for allegedly mishandling his investments and deceiving him for 20 years.

He was awarded $11milllion in damages but never received the money as O'Brien declared himself bankrupt. For Harrison the experience was harrowing and friends believed that it played a part in the deterioration of his health, which eventually saw him dying of cancer in 2001 aged just 58. "I saw George well into the case and it looked like he had aged 10 years," recalls Terry Gilliam. The late actor Richard Griffiths said: "I felt so sorry for him because it was his free-spiritedness that allowed all that work to happen. I just think he was stabbed in the back." HandMade Films started off with a pop star indulging a childhood dream, working with his comedy heroes. It may have ended in tears but some exceptionally good films were made and life at the film company was never dull.

In the words of Robert Sellers: "George Harrison didn't have to become involved but HandMade was his vision, his dream and his passion - to help his mates." To order Very Naughty Boys by Robert Sellers (Titan Book, £8.99) send a cheque or PO made payable to Express Bookshop to: Naughty Boys Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ or tel 01872 562310 or visit expressbookshop.com UK delivery is free Related articles 12 Hidden Celebrity Cameos in Movies | Mental Floss 12 Hidden Celebrity Cameos in Movies TriStar Pictures Like us on Facebook Cameo appearances are designed to give audiences special little surprises. But sometimes they are so small, viewers can miss them entirely if they're not paying close attention. Here are 12 blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos. 1. Richard Branson in 'Casino Royale' When James Bond arrives at Miami International Airport, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson can be seen at airport security. Branson is a big fan of the Bond franchise and had always wanted to be in one of the films.

He supplied a few Virgin Atlantic airplanes for Casino Royale's production in Prague, so its co-producer Barbara Broccoli asked him to be in the film as a thank-you. 2. George Harrison in 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' In 1979, George Harrison co-produced Monty Python's Life of Brian. The British comedy group couldn't finance their second feature film, so longtime fan George Harrison put up his own money and started a production company expressly to fund it. Life of Brian was the first film by Harrison's Handmade Films, as the ex-Beatle also appeared very briefly in a uncredited role (seen above). 3. Chris Isaak in 'The Silence of the Lambs' (00:57 mark) During Hannibal Lecter's thrilling escape from police custody, recording artist Chris Isaak makes a cameo appearance as a SWAT team commander in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs. Demme is a big fan of Chris Isaak's music and tries to cast him in small roles in many of his movies, such as Married to the Mob. 4.

Cameron Crowe in 'Minority Report' (00:17 mark) During Captain John Anderton's (Tom Cruise) thrilling escape from police, director Cameron Crowe can be spotted as a man reading a newspaper on the subway. Apparently, Cameron Diaz and Paul Thomas Anderson are also passengers on the subway train, but their cameos didn't make the final cut. 5. Lloyd Kaufman in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director James Gunn cast his mentor Lloyd Kaufman, the president and founder of Troma Entertainment, in a small role as a prison inmate in Guardians of the Galaxy. Kaufman can be seen when Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot first arrive in the Kyln space prison. 6. Chris Martin in 'Shaun of the Dead' Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay make a brief cameo appearance at the tail end of Shaun of the Dead, but Martin also plays a decaying zombie in the comedy's climax outside of the Winchester pub. 7. Ron Jeremy in 'Ghostbusters' (3:30 mark) Adult film star Ron Jeremy has an uncredited role as "Man Behind Barricade" in Ghostbusters.

He appears about an hour into the movie and can be seen in a crowd of people looking up after the containment unit explosion at Ghostbusters HQ. 8. Glenn Close in 'Hook' (00:54 mark) Before she earned an Academy Award nomination in Albert Nobbs, Glenn Close played Gutless the pirate in Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook. Gutless is the bearded pirate that Captain Hook punishes with a stay in the "boo box." 9. Peter Jackson in 'Hot Fuzz' Jackson was a big fan of Shaun of the Dead and invited Edgar Wright to New Zealand to hang out on the set of King Kong. While on set, Wright told Jackson about Hot Fuzz and the Lord of the Rings director jumped at the chance of making a cameo. During Nicolas Angel's career highlights montage, Jackson makes a cameo appearance as the man dressed as Father Christmas who stabbed Angel's hand. 10. Cate Blanchett in 'Hot Fuzz' whatculture.com At the very beginning, Cate Blanchett plays an uncredited role as Janine, Nicolas Angel's forensic scientist ex-girlfriend.

Most of Blanchett's face and head were covered beneath protective goggles and a face mask, but her voice is clear and distinct . She wanted to be in the film because she was a big fan of Edgar Wright's previous movie Shaun of the Dead. George Harrison, horoscope for birth date 24 February 1943, born in Liverpool, with Astrodatabank biography - Astro-Databank George Harrison Biography British musician, composer and producer. a world-known superstar member of the rock 'n roll group "The Beatles," musical and cultural icons of the tumultuous sixties. Harrison was the youngest of four children born to Harold, a bus driver, and Louise, a homemaker. A precocious youth who was a mediocre student, Harrison was given his first guitar by his mother who encouraged him continually despite her son’s pleadings that he could never learn to play it. Mom’s encouragement won over and Harrison’s fate was sealed on 2/06/1958 when a friend of his, Paul McCartney introduced him to a guitar player named John Lennon.

The three teenagers, along with their friend Pete Best formed a band named the "Quarrymen" and rehearsed in Harrison’s home, with Mom Harrison cheering all their efforts. The Quarrymen eventually changed their name to "The Beatles" and with drummer Ringo Starr replacing Best, performed in the local Liverpool club known as "The Cavern," toured Scotland and Germany. After signing with manager Brian Epstein, they toured America and became overnight sensations, ultimately becoming a household word.

Harrison was the composer of Beatle hits "Taxman" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." When the band broke up in 1970, Harrison, who had been heavily influenced by eastern mysticism and Indian musician Ravi Shankar, pursued his own spiritual and musical path with such albums including "All Things Must Pass," " Dark Horse," (after the record company he established of the same name in 1974,) "Living In The Material World" and "Somewhere in England." He purchased a film company in 1978 with partner Dennis O’Brien called "HandMade Films," and has bankrolled movies including "The Long Good Friday," "Mona Lisa," "Time Bandits," "Monty Python’s Life of Brian" and "Shanghai Surprise." Despite the success of HandMade Films, Harrison has no plans of being a full-time producer. "I don’t really want an office job, going there day after day. I like to have it as a hobby," he said. Following the assassination of fellow Beatle John Lennon in 1980, Harrison became absolutely terrified of appearing in public and rarely granted interviews.

Making his first concert appearance after 12 years in 1987, he emerged officially from the shadows. Friend Michael Palin of "Monty Python" remarked, 'I think in some ways he is just recovering from being a Beatle. I think he’s deciding now that he can’t live locked away all the time." In regards to Harrison’s religious and spiritual leanings, Palin also observed, "I think he’s absorbed as much as he can, and he’s not on the quest, the search for truth as he once was." Once out his shell, Harrison toured with the super-group "The Traveling Wilburys" in 1995 and, that same year, joined ex-Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney to produce "The Beatles’ Anthology." His autobiography entitled "I Me Mine" was published in 1980. While gardening in July 1997, Harrison noticed a lump in his neck. He underwent surgery the following month to remove the cancerous nodule followed by radiation . "I got it purely from smoking. I gave up cigarettes many years ago but started again for a while and then stopped in 1997.

Luckily for me, they found that this nodule was more a warning than anything else." In January 1998, Harrison went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, for tests and was informed that the cancer had not returned. In May of that same year, further tests confirmed he was cancer free. Harrison’s marriage to Patti Boyd in 1966 ended in divorce in 1977. The following year he married his former secretary at Dark Horse, Mexican-American Olivia Arias, five months after the birth of their son Dhani (Hindu for "rich man") to whom he is a devoted father. Harrison enjoys domestic bliss on a 35 acre estate in a 30 room renovated convent that he purchased from the Silesian Sisters in 1970. Two other homes are maintained in Hawaii and Australia. Racing cars is another of Harrison’s past times, along with his full-time passions, gardening and horticulture, for which he employs a full-time botanist. He and Olivia live in a palatial guarded mansion some 25 miles west of London.

On 12/30/1999, Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his home at about 3:30 AM and in the struggle, was stabbed in the chest, collapsing his right lung. The intruder was named by the press as Michael Abram, a young man who heard voices in his head and believed that the Beatles were witches. The wound was just short of hitting a critical area, but George and Olivia fought off the youth until the police arrived. In May 2001, his lawyers announced that he had undergone surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to removed a cancerous growth from one of his lungs and was recovering nicely in Tuscany, Italy. He had previously conquered throat cancer in 1997. In early July 2001, he reported that he was "feeling fine" after radiotherapy treatment at the Oncology Institute in Switzerland for a rumored brain tumor. Media reported that on 11/08/2001 Harrison was in a suite at Staten Island University hospital, New York, being treated by radiotherapy, a method of radiation use to shrink cancer tumors.

He died on 11/29/2001 at 1:30 PM at a friend's Los Angeles home with his wife Olivia and son Dhani, 24, with him. The family made a statement to the press, He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends. He often said, 'Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait; love one another.' The former Beatle was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004 Relationships associate relationship with Clapton, Eric (born 30 March 1945). Notes: Friends and occasional musical collaborators associate relationship with Dylan, Bob (born 24 May 1941). Notes: Band mates in The Traveling Wilburys associate relationship with Entertainment: The Beatles (born 17 August 1960). Notes: Lead guitarist/ singer/ songwriter, 1960-1970 associate relationship with Idle, Eric (born 29 March 1943).

Notes: Friends and occasional business associates associate relationship with Orbison, Roy (born 23 April 1936). Notes: Band mates in The Traveling Wilburys business associate/partner relationship with Epstein, Brian (born 19 September 1934) business associate/partner relationship with Lennon, John (born 9 October 1940) business associate/partner relationship with Martin, George (born 3 January 1926). Notes: as record producer business associate/partner relationship with McCartney, Paul (born 18 June 1942) business associate/partner relationship with Starr, Ringo (born 7 July 1940) business associate/partner relationship with Sutcliffe, Stu (born 23 June 1940). Notes: Band mates in The Beatles spouse relationship with Boyd, Pattie (born 17 March 1944). Notes: 1966–1977 Events chart Placidus Equal_H.

Source Notes Mercury Hour, 4/1993, p.1, "Janice Giles of New Zealand sent us some interesting news from George Harrison who wrote, "For instance, I only learned recently after all these years that the date and time of my own birth have always been off by one calendar day and about a half hour on the clock," reported in Billboard magazine, 12/1992." On a prior ocassion, he had given out February 25, 1943, 00:05 AM GDT, (23 minutes later). Tashi Grady met Harrison in 7/1993 and he said that he and his astrologer had rectified the time to 11:52:19 PM. On 2/24/2002, Jayj Jacobs wrote, "Early this morning I was listening to a Westwood One broadcast syndicated on SF's fabled KFRC. The show, 'Beatle Brunch' was on George Harrison, a bio & music compilation, in which they interviewed George's sister, on the air.

She said she was confused by her brother's statements concerning the change in his birth date & time *Because* she had a birth record in hand -- in her mother's handwriting -- saying he was born at 12:10 am on the 25th. She also said that her mother was awake and aware of the birth. She commented that in those days, "before digital clocks an all that" that spoken remarks re time were approximated to the nearest 5 minutes or so, "'ten of' or 'a quarter after' and such". That should make 12:10 accurate within 2-3 minutes either way, about as close as we ever get -- without a stopwatch holding astrologer on the premises. I've had several clients *try to be helpful* and give me their birthtime *after* it had been converted by another astrologer to Standard or LMT, etc. I suspect that's what George did, with a bit of 'wrecktifiction' thrown in.

I think his Mom, the written record, & sister trump his later 'recovered knowledge'." Categories George Harrison - Biography - IMDb George Harrison Biography Showing all 121 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (91) | Personal Quotes (19) Overview (4) 5' 9¾" (1.77 m) Mini Bio (1) A master musician, a film producer and actor, best known as the lead guitarist and occasionally lead vocalist of The Beatles , George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He was also the youngest of four children, born to Harold Harrison and Louise Harrison . Like his future band mates, Harrison was not born into wealth. Louise was largely a stay-at-home mom while her husband Harold drove a school bus for the Liverpool Institute, an acclaimed grammar school that George attended and where he first met a young classmate, Paul McCartney .

By his own admission, Harrison was not much of a student and what little interest he did have for his studies washed away with his discovery of the electric guitar and American rock-'n'-roll. There were a lot of harmonies in the Harrison household. He had a knack of sorts for it by age 12 or 13, while riding a bike around his neighborhood and hearing Elvis Presley 's "Heartbreak Hotel", playing from a nearby house. By the age of 14 George--who was a fan of such legends as , Harrison, who grew up in the likes of listening to such rock legends Carl Perkins , Little Richard and Buddy Holly --had purchased his first guitar and taught himself a few chords. McCartney', who had recently joined up with another Liverpool teenager, John Lennon , in a skiffle group known as The Quarrymen, invited Harrison to see the band perform. Harrison and Lennon had a few things in common, such as the fact that they both attended Dovedale Primary School but didn't know each other. Their paths finally crossed in early 1958.

McCartney had been egging the 17-year-old Lennon to allow the 14-year-old Harrison to join the band, but Lennon was reluctant; as legend has it, after seeing McCartney and Lennon perform, George was granted an audition on the upper deck of a bus, where he wowed Lennon with his rendition of popular American rock riffs. The 17-year-old Harrison's music career was in full swing by 1960. Lennon had renamed the band The Beatles and the young group began cutting its rock teeth in the small clubs and bars around Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. Within two years, the group had a new drummer, Ringo Starr , and a manager, Brian Epstein , a young record store owner who eventually landed the group a record contract with EMI's Parlophone label. Before the end of 1962, Harrison and The Beatles recorded a song, "Love Me Do", that landed in the UK Top 20 charts. Early that following year, another hit, "Please Please Me," was released, followed by an album by the same name.

"Beatlemania" was in full swing across England, and by early 1964, with the release of their album in the US and an American tour, it had swept across the States as well. Largely referred to as the "Quiet Beatle" Harrison took a back seat to McCartney, Lennon and, to a certain extent, Starr. Still, he could be quick-witted, even edgy. During the middle of one American tour, the group members were asked how they slept at night with long hair. From the get-go, Lennon-McCartney were primary lead vocalists. While the two spent most of the time writing their own songs, Harrison had shown an early interest in creating his own work. In the summer of 1963 he spearheaded his first song, "Don't Bother Me," which made its way on to the group's second album. From there on out, Harrison's songs were a staple of all Beatle records. In fact, some of the group's more memorable songs--e.g., "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Something," which was the only Beatle song ever recorded by Frank Sinatra --were penned by Harrison.

However, his influence on the group and pop music in general extended beyond just singles. In 1965, while on the set of The Beatles' second film, Help! (1965), Harrison took an interest in some of the Eastern instruments and their musical arrangements that were being used in the film. He soon developed a deep interest in Indian music. He taught himself the sitar, introducing the instrument to many western ears on Lennon's song, "Norwegian Wood"" He soon cultivated a close relationship with renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar . Other groups, including The Rolling Stones , began incorporating the sitar into some of their work. It could be argued that Harrison's experimentation with different kinds of instrumentation helped pave the way for such ground-breaking Beatle albums as "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Harrison's interest in Indian music soon extended into a yearning to learn more about eastern spiritual practices. In 1968 he led The Beatles on a journey to northern India to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi .

Having grown spiritually and musically since the group first started, Harrison, who wanted to include more of his material on Beatle records, was clearly uneasy with the McCartney-Lennon dominance of the group. During the "Let It Be" recording sessions in 1969, Harrison walked out, staying away for several weeks before he was coaxed to come back with the promise that the band would use more of his songs on its records. However, tensions in the group were clearly high. Lennon and McCartney had ceased writing together years before, and they, too, were feeling the need to go in a different direction. In January of 1970 the group recorded Harrison's "I Me Mine." It was the last song the four would ever record together. Three months later, McCartney announced he was leaving the band and The Beatles were officially over. After the breakup of The Beatles, Harrison pursued a solo career. He immediately assembled a studio band consisting of ex-Beatle Starr, guitar legend Eric Clapton , keyboardist Billy Preston and others to record all the songs that had never made it on to The Beatles catalog. The result was a three-disc album, "All Things Must Pass".

While one of its signature songs, "My Sweet Lord," was later deemed too similar in style to The Chiffons ' 1963 hit "He's So Fine," forcing the guitarist to cough up nearly $600,000, the album as a whole remains Harrison's most acclaimed record. Not long after the album's release, Harrison combined his charitable work and his continued passion for the east when he put together a series of ground-breaking benefit concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden to raise money for refugees in Bangladesh. Known as the "Concert for Bangladesh", the shows, which featured Bob Dylan , Leon Russell , and Ravi Shankar, would go on to raise some $15 million for UNICEF, produced a Grammy-winning album, a successful documentary film ( The Concert for Bangladesh (1972)) and laid the groundwork for future benefit shows like "Live Aid" and "Farm Aid". Not everything about post-Beatle life went smoothly for Harrison, though. In 1974, his marriage to Pattie Boyd, whom he'd married eight years before, ended when she left him for Eric Clapton.

His studio work struggled, too, from 1973-77, starting with, "Living in the Material World", "Extra Texture," and "33 1/3," all of which failed to meet sales expectations. Following the release of that last album, Harrison took a short break from music, winding down his own label, Dark Horse Records--which he had started in 1974, and which had released albums by a number of other bands--and started his own film production company, Handmade Films. The company produced the successful Monty Python film Life of Brian (1979) and would go on to make 26 other films before Harrison sold his interest in the company in 1994. In 1979, he returned to the studio to release his self-titled album. It was followed two years later by, "Somewhere in England," which was still being worked on at the time of John Lennon 's assassination in December of 1980. The record eventually included the Lennon tribute track, "All Those Years Ago," a song that reunited ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr , along with ex- Wings members Denny Laine and Linda McCartney .

While the song was a hit, the album, its predecessor and its successor, "Gone Troppo," weren't. For Harrison the lack of commercial appeal and the constant battles with music executives proved draining and prompted another studio hiatus. A comeback of sorts came in November 1987, however, with the release of the album "Cloud Nine," produced by Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra ). The album turned out several top-charting hits, including "Got My Mind Set On You"-- remake of the 1962 song by Rudy Clark --and "When We Was Fab," a song that reflected on the life of Beatlemania, with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who was dressed up as a walrus, but was a camera shy, in February 1988. Later that year Harrison formed The Traveling Wilburys . The group consisted of Harrison, Lynne, Roy Orbison , Tom Petty and Bob Dylan , and spawned two successful albums. Buoyed by the group's commercial success, Harrison took to the road with his new bandmates in 1992, embarking on his first international tour in 18 years.

Not long afterwards he was reunited with McCartney and Starr for the creation of an exhaustive three-part release of a Beatles anthology--which featured alternative takes, rare tracks and a John Lennon demo called "Free as a Bird," that the three surviving Beatles completed in the studio. The song went on to become the group's 34th Top 10 single. After that, however, Harrison largely became a homebody, keeping himself busy with gardening and his cars at his expansive and restored home in Henley-on-Thames in south Oxfordshire, England. Still, the ensuing years were not completely stress-free. In 1997, Harrison, a longtime smoker, was successfully treated for throat cancer. Eighteen months later, his life was again put on the line when a deranged 33-year-old Beatles fan somehow managed to circumvent Harrison's intricate security system and broke into his home, attacking the musician and his wife Olivia with a knife. Harrison was treated for a collapsed lung and minor stab wounds. Olivia suffered several cuts and bruises. In May 2001, Harrison's cancer returned. There was lung surgery, but doctors soon discovered the cancer had spread to his brain.

That autumn, he traveled to the US for treatment and was eventually hospitalized at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. He died November 29, 2001, at ex-bandmate McCartney's house in Los Angeles, at aged 58, with his wife and son at his side. Just one year after his death, Harrison's final studio album, "Brainwashed," was released. It was produced by Lynne, Harrison's son Dhani Harrison and Harrison himself, and featured a collection of songs he'd been working at the time of his death. Dhani finished putting the album together and it was released in November of 2002. Trivia (91) As of 1998, his older sister Louise Harrison was living in southern Illinois. A good deal of confusion as to his real birthday was solved when a family birth record noted him as being born shortly before midnight around 11:50 P.M.) on February 24th, 1943. He had believed his birthday was February 25th for his entire life. Lead guitarist of The Beatles .

On 30 December 1999, an intruder broke into his Oxfordshire mansion, stabbing him multiple times in the chest. Harrison and his wife fought the intruder and detained him for the police. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Beatles January 20, 1988. Wrote the introduction to a biography on sitarist Ravi Shankar . He played 26 instruments: guitar, sitar, four-string guitar, bass guitar, arp bass, violin, tamboura, dobro, swordmandel, tabla, organ, piano, moog synthesizer, harmonica, autoharp, glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone, claves, African drum, conga drum, tympani, ukulele, mandolin, marimba and Jal-Tarang. Son, Dhani Harrison (born 1 August 1978) was a student at Brown University. He and his fellow members of The Beatles were awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

In 1979 he was co-founder, executive producer and principal partner of HandMade Films, a position he held until 1994. Attended Dovedale Road Primary School (now Dovedale Road Junior School) and the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys (now the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts). Got a job as an apprentice electrician at age 16 but didn't have the interest to continue it. With one son a mechanic and another a groundskeeper, father Harry hoped his sons would go into business together once George finished his apprenticeship. Harry let George quit to become a working musician, though, when The Beatles began to get weekly bookings, figuring he was young and could still "start over" if music didn't work out. Liked jelly babies (a softer version of jelly beans). George met Pattie Boyd on the set of A Hard Day's Night (1964). She was engaged at the time, but George kept asking her out until she gave in. They were married in 1966. In 1968 Eric Clapton played guitar on George's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on The Beatles ' "White Album".

Also, George was at Eric's home in England and wrote "Here Comes the Sun" while skipping a board meeting for the band's company, Apple Corps. In the early 1970s Eric Clapton fell madly in love with Pattie Boyd (at the time married to Harrison) and wrote "Layla" about her; when she refused to leave George for him, Clapton became so distraught and depressed he turned to heroin and developed a severe addiction. By 1974, feeling abandoned by George's obsession with Indian culture, Pattie left George for Eric and the Harrisons' divorce was finalized in 1977. Two years later, Pattie and Eric were married (they divorced in 1988). Through it all, George, Eric and Pattie remained the best of friends - George attended the Claptons' wedding reception and commented, "I'd rather she was with him than some dope". (Clapton and Harrison called each other "husbands-in-law."). Was the second of The Beatles to become a vegetarian, after Ringo Starr but before Paul McCartney . According to his first wife Pattie Boyd , Harrison would allow neither meat nor fish to be brought into his house.

In January of 2002 the re-release of "My Sweet Lord" reached #1 in the UK, replacing Aaliyah 's "More Than A Woman". It was the first time there have been two consecutive posthumous #1 hits in the UK. Was the first of The Beatles to produce a "solo" album, with his soundtrack album to Joe Massot 's film Wonderwall (1968) ( Paul McCartney had earlier composed the score for The Family Way (1966), but did not produce or play on the recordings). Songs were recorded both in India (featuring Ashish Khan and guests) and England; the English tracks featured Harrison, Ringo Starr , Eric Clapton , Peter Tork (each performing under pseudonyms) and former Beatles rivals The Remo Four, from Liverpool. Wrote an autobiography titled "I Me Mine" in the late 1970s (which he described in the introduction as "the small change of a short lifetime"), and included reproductions of the original handwritten lyrics to nearly all his songs.

The book was originally issued as an exclusive leather-bound edition by Genesis Books for about $350 per copy; a less-expensive hardback edition was later published by Simon and Schuster. Had his own professional 16-track recording studio installed at Friar Park, where nearly all his solo records after "All Things Must Pass" were made (album credits usually mention "Friar Park Studio", or "F.P.S.H.O.T."). In the 1980s Jeff Lynne , used to working with 48-track digital machines, found it startling to have to rethink his approach to record with Harrison, but found it refreshing in the long run (the band Shakespear's Sister also borrowed the studio in the early 1990s, to record "Hormonally Yours"). A controversy arose in the days after Harrison's death, when it turned out his death certificate listed a bogus address; it was revealed he had died at Paul McCartney 's Los Angeles house, whose address they'd wanted to keep secret. McCartney described the late Harrison as "my baby brother".

Harrison was cremated within hours of his death, and his ashes were later scattered along the Ganges River in India, in accordance with his last wishes. Overcame both hepatitis in the mid-1970s (which caused a delay in the release of his album "Thirty-Three and 1/3"), and a cocaine addiction in the early 1980s. Was called "my archangel" by Srila Prabhupada , founder of the Hare Krishna movement. A federal court in New York ruled in 1976 that his song "My Sweet Lord" was a copyright infringement on the 1963 Laurie Records hit "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons . "My Sweet Lord" contained a similar repetition of two musical phrases ("sol-mi-re" and "sol-la-do-la-do") found in "He's So Fine," along with identical harmonies. Although the court found that Harrison did not intend to plagiarize "He's So Fine," it ruled that, having been familiar with the song, he had "subconsciously" copied its melody (Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music, Ltd., 420 F.Supp.

177 (S.D.N.Y. Aug 31, 1976). Appeals dragged the case on into the 1990s, with Harrison's former manager Allen Klein becoming the plaintiff when he bought Bright Tunes. Harrison eventually ended up owning both songs, while Klein's reputation suffered from his "changing sides" in the suit. He was the youngest of four children (Louise, Harold Jr. and Peter were his older siblings), and came from the most "normal" home of any of The Beatles . Father Harry drove a Liverpool city bus, while mother Louise gave dance lessons at their home. The Harrisons were common-sense people, but allowed their children to pursue their dreams, and encouraged George to take up music. Mrs. Harrison invited The Beatles over to practice early in their career, and sometimes came to see them perform. The family remained close, even after daughter Louise married and moved to America, and George became famous; Louise frequently made herself available for media interviews about her younger brother, and hosted his early American visits. He provided enough money for his parents to retire comfortably, while his home at Friar Park was a family affair indeed, tended by he and his older brothers.

His mother died of cancer in 1970, and he wrote "Deep Blue" in reaction to her death. His father died (also of cancer) in 1978, having adopted some of his son's spiritual beliefs; George and wife Olivia later related that they'd awoken that same night, to a strange blue light in the room, and a vision of Harry smiling at them. When Lorne Michaels offered The Beatles $3000 to appear on Saturday Night Live (1975), Harrison actually took him up on the offer and performed on the show. The joke was that Michaels was offering $750 per Beatle, and Harrison wanted the full $3000. As a tribute, this appearance was re-aired as part of "Weekend Update" the Saturday after Harrison died. Spoke German, but not fluently Was an ace Monopoly player. Although rightly considered the shyest pf The Beatles , Harrison loved comedy and often associated with Monty Python through the 1970s. Brother-in-law of Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood was married to Jenny Boyd , Pattie Boyd 's sister).

In 1978, The Rolling Stones album "Some Girls" was withdrawn from stores after several stars whose photos appeared on the original cover (including Lucille Ball , Raquel Welch , Farrah Fawcett , Lee Majors and Red Buttons ) threatened to sue. The album was re-released with a "censored" cover; Harrison's photo appears on both versions. He joked publicly that he'd sue the Stones "if they removed his photo." Together with Eric Clapton , he wrote the Cream hit "Badge." He also played the song's lead guitar track up to the bridge. After his lung cancer was found to have returned in March 2001, Harrison was operated on in June and had half of one lung removed. By November of that year however the cancer had spread to his brain, making recovery impossible. The only one of The Beatles whose childhood was not marred by personal tragedy. Was actually hurt by the critical savaging of Shanghai Surprise (1986) and its subsequent financial failure, because he had very little to do with it and his name was on the film. In later years he said that his songs were the victims of the film's failure.

Disillusioned with working for a major label, he quickly and hastily recorded "Gone Troppo" in 1982 to fulfill his contract. When asked to renew, he refused. He also refused to do any publicity for the album, which he thought of as second-rate. Due to the shoddy publicity campaign by Warner Brothers for the album, it was a flop and its highest chart position was #108. Harrison decided not to make another album for five years. When he did, the album, "Cloud Nine", was a smash, landing in the #1 spot. After eight years being idle, he decided to tour in 1974 despite a bad voice due to some throat problems. The tour was a critical and commercial disaster, with unfair severe criticism for the opening act of " Ravi Shankar and Friends", Harrison's voice (which was called "Dark Hoarse") and his preaching. He was so disillusioned and angry with the incident that he never toured in America again, only going to Japan in 1992 for a very large sum and Eric Clapton 's back-up band.

Originally submitted his album "Somwhere In England" in 1980 with a psychedelic cover and four rather downbeat songs. Warner Brothers rejected the album and ordered a new cover and four new, more upbeat songs. It was around this time that John Lennon died, and Harrison decided to re-arrange his song "All Those Years Ago" as a tribute to Lennon and sing it himself (he originally thought it should be a Ringo Starr tune). Starr had recorded percussion, which was used in the final track. At the same time Paul McCartney asked if he could come over to George's house so George could do some guitar work on Paul's song "Wanderlust." It was the first time McCartney and Harrison had been together since the break-up of The Beatles in 1970. Harrison asked Paul, wife Linda McCartney and Denny Laine to record backing vocals for his song, "All Those Years Ago." After recording the song, McCartney decided that Harrison didn't need to record the guitar part and he'd use a horn ensemble instead. After three other songs were recorded, and a new photo shot at an art gallery in London, the album was resubmitted and accepted.

Based on the strength of a new Beatles "reunion" (on "All Those Years Ago"), the album was released to critical and commercial excitement. "All Those Years Ago" became Harrison's first top-ten hit in eight years. He was the youngest member of The Beatles . Is portrayed by Chris Cound in The Linda McCartney Story (2000). On 11/11/04 The Beatles were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. Is portrayed by Chris O'Neill in Backbeat (1994). After The Beatles broke up, he was the first of them to have a #1 hit as a solo artist ("My Sweet Lord" December 1970). The first song he wrote was "Don't Bother Me", while he was sick in hospital. He said later, "It was an exercise, to see if I *could* write a song". Former schoolmate of Paul McCartney ; the two got acquainted riding the same bus every day, carrying their first guitars. After McCartney joined John Lennon 's Quarrymen, Harrison began turning up at their shows, and filled in when other members weren't available.

Lennon objected to having a "kid" join the band, but McCartney persuaded him. Through good friend Eric Clapton , Delaney Bramlett introduced him to playing slide guitar, which he would use after The Beatles . Though the guitar chord - 7th + sharpened 9th - became known as "The Hendrix Chord" through its heavy use on "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze," the 7#9 was actually used several months earlier by Harrison on "Taxman" from The Beatles ' 1966 album "Revolver". He and The Beatles were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Portrayed by Sam Bell in Nowhere Boy (2009). First musician of the pop era to introduce the sitar when he played it on "Norwegian Wood" from the The Beatles ' album "Rubber Soul" (1965). This was the first time the Indian instrument had been played on a pop single. Rivals The Rolling Stones soon followed with sitar accompaniment on their hit "Paint It Black" (1966).

During his November 1976 appearance on Saturday Night Live (1975), he appeared and sang, in a video titled "This Song". It referenced the then popular controversy over the similarity in the melody of his mega-hit "My Sweet Lord"(1971) and that of The Chiffons ' 1963 hit "He's So Fine". In the early 1960s when The Beatles were a backup group for Tony Sheridan , George co-wrote with John Lennon an instrumental, "Cry For A Shadow". The title was a reference to a disbanded British group. Began playing the slide guitar at age 27. At that time, Harrison began to incorporate it into his solo work, which allowed him to mimic many traditional Indian instruments, including the sarangi and the dilruba. Founded his own record label, Dark Horse Records, in 1974. Like fellow member of The Beatles John Lennon , Harrison was known to be a very private person.

Was very good friends with: Eric Clapton , Jeff Lynne , Roy Orbison , Bob Dylan , Elton John , Tom Petty , Phil Collins , Neil Young , Paul Simon , David Gilmour , Pete Townshend , Mick Jagger , Keith Richards , Billy Preston , Neil Aspinall , Neil Innes , Carl Perkins and Roger McGuinn . A devout Monty Python fan. By late 1986, after a substantial break, Harrison felt the desire to make music again. He asked former Electric Light Orchestra lead vocalist, fellow guitarist and fellow musician, Jeff Lynne to co-produce a new album, "Cloud Nine," with him. The album went platinum, after his 1970 multi-platinum album, "All Things Must Pass," 17 years earlier. When he was a young boy he collected photos of racing drivers and their cars; by 12 years of age he had attended his first race, the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree. Before the breakup of The Beatles , he purchased and restored the buildings of Friar Park, a 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames.

In early 1956, he had an epiphany: while riding his bicycle, he heard Elvis Presley 's, "Heartbreak Hotel", playing from a nearby house, and the song piqued his interest in rock and roll. He often sat at the back of the class drawing guitars in his schoolbooks, and later commented, "I was totally into guitars.". The first of The Beatles to wear a mop-top haircut. His idols were: Big Bill Broonzy , George Formby , Django Reinhardt , Chet Atkins , Chuck Berry and Ry Cooder . When it was his final show at Madison Square Garden in New York, he told 11-year-old Julian Lennon to tell his father, John Lennon , "All is forgiven and I still love you." That was the last time Harrison saw Lennon before his death. Was supposed to help Julian Lennon on the slide guitar for the song, "Help Yourself," but wasn't able to make it because he had to attend Eric Clapton 's son's funeral. Instead, George sent Julian the samples. Performed at The Concert for the Natural Law Party Royal Albert Hall in London, England, along with Ringo Starr , Starr's daughter, Lee Starkey and Julian Lennon .

[6 April 1992]. In 1974 a former secretary who was working at A&M Records, Olivia Harrison , had spoken to Harrison many times over the phone. He was impressed and sent a friend to scout her out. Harrison and Olivia met at a party and the two soon formed a romantic relationship, and the two got married after his divorce from Pattie Boyd was final. Was a longtime friend of 'Weird Al' Yankovic . Yankovic wrote a parody of "Got My Mind Set on You", called "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long". It was released as a song off his album "Even Worse". He was inspired by Lonnie Donegan , who taught him how to play the guitar, after listening to Donegan, growing up. During the escalation in Beatlemania from 1964 to 1966, Harrison got through flights by taking uppers and drinking whiskey and coke. Decades later, his memories of this time focused almost entirely on the horrors of airplanes, airports, cars and crowds.

After the breakup of The Beatles , Harrison began a long association with Ringo Starr , who participated in either his or Harrison's songs: "It Don't Come Easy," "Photograph," "Back Off Boogaloo," "I'll Still Love You," and "Wrack My Brain.". He was voted as a guitarist as the 11th of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, by "Rolling Stone.". Between 1971-2001, he made 27 movies with Handmade Films, and had a remarkable/non-remarkable 60 singles, under a variety of categories. 1 of them went to #1. The only one of The Beatles to have cancer deaths in his family, before the same disease caught up with him. He gave a slang word to the national vocabulary. In The Beatles ' first movie A Hard Day's Night (1964), Harrison used the word "grotty" to describe some items of clothing. "Grotty" (meaning "grotesque") caught on as an actual slang word used frequently in the 1960s. It is still used, albeit sparingly, to this day.

According to John Lennon , Harrison "used to cringe every time he had to say it.". The remaining members of The Beatles , Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr , appeared in both of his videos: "All Those Years Ago", about the death of their own singing partner, John Lennon , and "When We Was Fab", which was used in reference of Beatlemania. Harrison knew Julian Lennon ( John Lennon 's first son) since birth. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 14, 2009. He asked Peter Tork to record some banjo for the score of Wonderwall (1968). Tork's banjo playing was featured in the film. Was posthumously honored with The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award. [8 February 2015]. He became the first recipient of the Billboard Century Award, an honour presented to music artists for significant bodies of work. [1992]. The last song he wrote was "A Horse To Water.". Attended the funeral of Linda McCartney ( Paul McCartney 's first wife), on 8 June 1998.

Question: Which famous musician owned a film company called Handmade Films?
Answer: GEORGE HARRISON